Tim Fleming, who grew up in Elmhurst, is a 2004 graduate of St. Adalbert School, 2008 Graduate of Regis H.S. and a 2012 Graduate of Georgetown University, with a Bachelor of Arts in Government and a minor in History. Now he is headed to Boston to study at one of the most prestigious law schools in the world.

“I just felt like I could do a number of things in the future with a law degree,” Fleming said in a recent interview of his decision to go to law school. “I feel like it will give me a lot of options.”

Prior to being accepted at Harvard, Fleming also got offers to study law at Duke, St. John's, and Columbia. He said following a phone interview with Harvard, he thought his chances of studying in Boston were nil.

“It only lasted about ten minutes, so I thought that it went really bad,” he said. “They asked if I had any questions, and I asked a couple just to keep them on the line.”

Fleming cut his teeth with this paper, having spent his high school summers as a cub reporter for the Queens Ledger. Since then, he has held internships with Congressman Joseph Crowley, the Brian Ross Investigative Unit of ABC News, and the Queens County District Attorney's Office. He begins studying at Harvard in the fall.

He said the basis for his success begins in the neighborhood.

"Any success I achieve is not mine alone,” Fleming said. “It is the product of the teachers who have guided me through the years, beginning with Mrs. Reddin in kindergarten. It has been immeasurably helped by support from the community, including generous scholarships from as diverse sources as the Kiwanis Club and the 110th Precinct.

“It belongs to Walter Sanchez and the staff of the Queens Ledger,” he added, “who took a chance on a 13-year-old aspiring writer and provided me some of the most rewarding experiences of my life.”

And Fleming said his success is firmly rooted in his family.

“I could not have accomplished anything without the never-ending support of my mom and dad, who consistently pushed me to be my best, and who never lost faith that the good news from Harvard was coming, even if I had my private doubts,” he said. “I owe everything I have, and everything I am, to the people who have supported me."